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Foot smoking: What Are Smoker’s Feet? Signs and Symptoms

by alexxlab

What Are Smoker’s Feet? Signs and Symptoms

Smoking can have a significant effect on your feet. Nicotine in tobacco products can cause blood vessels to constrict, leading to significant problems for some smokers’ feet.

Most people know about the effects smoking can have on your heart, lungs, and kidneys. However, you may not realize that smoking can lead to issues with other parts of your body, including your feet and legs. Read on to learn more.

In short, yes, smoking can affect your feet and legs by reducing blood flow and slowing bone growth. Broadly termed “smoker’s feet,” smoking can actually lead to a variety of different foot and leg conditions.

Tobacco products contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical substance. One effect that nicotine has within the body is vasoconstriction, or narrowing, of blood vessels, making it much harder for your heart to pump blood throughout your whole body. This can lead to slowed blood flow and can cut off circulation to different body parts.

Since your hands and feet are the farthest away from your heart with the smallest blood vessels, they’re often the most affected. Reduced or cut-off circulation can lead to:

  • blood clots
  • slower healing of wounds
  • decreased sensation in your feet
  • nerve damage
  • tissue death

There are several conditions of the feet and legs that may be caused by smoking. Read on to learn more.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the condition that most people think of when they say “smoker’s feet.” It develops when plaque (fatty deposits) clogs your arteries and limits blood flow to your limbs. This leads to a limited ability to walk due to painful legs or feet, and it greatly increases your chances of having a stroke or heart attack.

PAD is fairly common, a recent report showed that one in every 20 people in the United States over the age of 50 has PAD. Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for developing PAD.

Symptoms include:

  • fatigue, heaviness, or weakness in the legs or feet
  • pain in the legs or feet
  • open sores or wounds on toes, feet, and legs that heal slowly or not at all
  • color changes or persistent coldness in the feet or legs
  • poor nail and hair growth

Buerger’s disease

Buerger’s disease, also known as thromboangiitis obliterans, is an inflammatory disease that causes blood clot formation within blood vessels. These clots can prevent blood flow, most commonly to your extremities, such as fingers and toes.

This lack of blood flow to your feet and hands can lead to pain, tissue damage, or even gangrene — the death and decay of body tissues due to lack of oxygen and nutrients. In some cases, gangrene can lead to amputation.

The risk of developing Buerger’s disease greatly increases when you smoke heavily. The best treatment is to stop smoking.

Help for quitting smoking

It’s never too late to stop smoking. There are many tools and resources to help you manage and quit smoking. Here are places to look that provide steps and resources to help you quit smoking:

  • American Lung Association
  • American Cancer Society
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • National Cancer Institute
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Was this helpful?

The most common symptoms of Buerger’s disease are:

  • pale, red, or bluish fingers and toes
  • cold hands or feet
  • pain or tingling in the hands, legs, and feet
  • small painful sores on the fingers or toes, or inflamed veins

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones break down faster than they regrow. Smoking has been shown to slow bone growth, which may lead to osteoporosis and an increased risk of breaking or fracturing bones.

The most common signs that you may be developing osteoporosis include:

  • receding gums
  • weakened grip strength
  • brittle fingernails
  • increase in fractures or breaks from falls
  • stooped posture
  • getting shorter over time

Smoking slows bone growth and creates inflammation in your arteries that can reduce blood supply. For this reason, studies have shown that it takes longer for bone fractures or breaks to heal if you smoke.

Raynaud’s syndrome

Raynaud’s syndrome is a condition where blood flow to your fingers, toes, ears, or nose is interrupted or restricted. Raynaud’s is typically associated with triggers, the most common being cold temperature. Since smoking affects blood flow through small blood vessels, it’s a major risk factor for the development of Raynaud’s syndrome.

If you have Raynaud’s syndrome, you may experience:

  • cold, numb, pale, fingers or toes, particularly after exposure to the cold
  • when circulation recovers, redness, swelling, or discomfort in the same regions
  • in severe cases, you can develop skin ulcers or tissue death

Plantar calluses

Plantar calluses are thick calluses that form on the bottoms of your feet. This is a very common condition and is easily treated.

There’s evidence that smoking can lead to more calluses on your feet due to the restriction of blood flow.

All of these conditions can be caused or worsened by heavy smoking. If you feel you may have or may be developing any of these conditions, talk with your doctor.

The main ways that smoking may affect your foot health is by reducing blood flow to your extremities and slowing bone growth and healing.

Smoking limits blood flow through your arteries and veins in two main ways:

  • First, many tobacco products contain the highly addictive chemical nicotine. Nicotine has been shown to constrict your blood vessels, making them narrower, limiting the amount of blood they can carry and decreasing blood flow. Over time, this can also make them more rigid, causing the heart to work harder to circulate blood.
  • Second, the chemicals in cigarettes can weaken the cells on the inside of blood vessels, making it easier for fatty deposits called plaque to build up and further restrict blood flow.

Smoking has also been shown to slow and hinder bone growth. This means that if you’re a heavy smoker, you’re more likely to have weaker bones, which can lead to more frequent fractures and breaks with a longer healing time.

Diagnosis varies with each condition affecting the feet. If you’re a smoker and are concerned that you may be developing a foot condition, begin by talking with your primary healthcare professional or a podiatrist (a doctor specializing in the care of feet).

In many cases, there’s no specific test to help diagnose these conditions. Your doctor may order blood tests to rule out other conditions, and perform comparative blood pressure exams on your arms and legs.

They may order imaging, such as an angiogram, a scan that visualizes your arteries, or an ultrasound of your veins.

In all cases, the first step is talking with a healthcare professional.

The best thing you can do to stop or slow any of these conditions is to quit smoking.

Treatment varies for each condition, but in most cases, there’s no cure. Your healthcare professional may recommend the following to help relieve symptoms:

  • exercise
  • eating a balanced diet
  • keeping your feet warm in cold weather
  • taking calcium supplements

You can also take steps to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure with medication.

There are additional risk factors for certain conditions of the feet if you smoke. While they vary between each condition, there are a few additional factors that can lead to conditions like peripheral arterial disease (PAD), Buerger’s disease, as well as increased risk of developing blood clots:

  • diabetes
  • high cholesterol
  • high blood pressure
  • genetics
  • age
  • sex

According to the National Institutes of Health, research shows that PAD occurs more frequently among Black people than white people. One reason for this may be inequities in healthcare.

Those assigned female at birth are more likely to develop osteoporosis than those assigned male. The CDC found that the age-adjusted prevalence of osteoporosis was higher among women (19.6%) compared with men (4.4%).

The outlook for these conditions of the feet varies based on which condition you’re experiencing. In extreme, untreated cases of conditions like Buerger’s disease, you may experience tissue death, or gangrene, which can sometimes lead to amputation.

A concern for developing PAD is the major increase in the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

However, for many of these conditions, symptoms have been shown to decrease once you stop smoking.

Can using e-cigarettes and vapes also hurt my feet?

Yes, the chemical nicotine is responsible for many of the conditions listed above. If you’re using a vape or e-cigarette that contains nicotine or other harmful chemicals, you’re at risk for developing these conditions.

How long does it take for blood circulation to improve after quitting smoking?

Blood circulation has been shown to improve anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks after quitting smoking. This should help lead to healthier feet and legs.

Does gangrene always lead to amputation?

If it’s caught early on, gangrene (or tissue death) doesn’t always end in amputation. However, if left untreated or if the infection is beginning to spread, amputation may be necessary in order to save your life.

Smoking negatively affects every aspect of your health, and your feet and legs are no exception.

There are a variety of foot and leg conditions that you can develop from smoking, ranging in severity from increased risk of calluses on your feet, to increased risk of bone fractures, to tissue death and amputation.

The number one thing you can do for your foot, leg, and all-around health is to quit smoking.

What Are Smoker’s Feet? Signs and Symptoms

Smoking can have a significant effect on your feet. Nicotine in tobacco products can cause blood vessels to constrict, leading to significant problems for some smokers’ feet.

Most people know about the effects smoking can have on your heart, lungs, and kidneys. However, you may not realize that smoking can lead to issues with other parts of your body, including your feet and legs. Read on to learn more.

In short, yes, smoking can affect your feet and legs by reducing blood flow and slowing bone growth. Broadly termed “smoker’s feet,” smoking can actually lead to a variety of different foot and leg conditions.

Tobacco products contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical substance. One effect that nicotine has within the body is vasoconstriction, or narrowing, of blood vessels, making it much harder for your heart to pump blood throughout your whole body. This can lead to slowed blood flow and can cut off circulation to different body parts.

Since your hands and feet are the farthest away from your heart with the smallest blood vessels, they’re often the most affected. Reduced or cut-off circulation can lead to:

  • blood clots
  • slower healing of wounds
  • decreased sensation in your feet
  • nerve damage
  • tissue death

There are several conditions of the feet and legs that may be caused by smoking. Read on to learn more.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the condition that most people think of when they say “smoker’s feet.” It develops when plaque (fatty deposits) clogs your arteries and limits blood flow to your limbs. This leads to a limited ability to walk due to painful legs or feet, and it greatly increases your chances of having a stroke or heart attack.

PAD is fairly common, a recent report showed that one in every 20 people in the United States over the age of 50 has PAD. Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for developing PAD.

Symptoms include:

  • fatigue, heaviness, or weakness in the legs or feet
  • pain in the legs or feet
  • open sores or wounds on toes, feet, and legs that heal slowly or not at all
  • color changes or persistent coldness in the feet or legs
  • poor nail and hair growth

Buerger’s disease

Buerger’s disease, also known as thromboangiitis obliterans, is an inflammatory disease that causes blood clot formation within blood vessels. These clots can prevent blood flow, most commonly to your extremities, such as fingers and toes.

This lack of blood flow to your feet and hands can lead to pain, tissue damage, or even gangrene — the death and decay of body tissues due to lack of oxygen and nutrients. In some cases, gangrene can lead to amputation.

The risk of developing Buerger’s disease greatly increases when you smoke heavily. The best treatment is to stop smoking.

Help for quitting smoking

It’s never too late to stop smoking. There are many tools and resources to help you manage and quit smoking. Here are places to look that provide steps and resources to help you quit smoking:

  • American Lung Association
  • American Cancer Society
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • National Cancer Institute
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Was this helpful?

The most common symptoms of Buerger’s disease are:

  • pale, red, or bluish fingers and toes
  • cold hands or feet
  • pain or tingling in the hands, legs, and feet
  • small painful sores on the fingers or toes, or inflamed veins

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones break down faster than they regrow. Smoking has been shown to slow bone growth, which may lead to osteoporosis and an increased risk of breaking or fracturing bones.

The most common signs that you may be developing osteoporosis include:

  • receding gums
  • weakened grip strength
  • brittle fingernails
  • increase in fractures or breaks from falls
  • stooped posture
  • getting shorter over time

Smoking slows bone growth and creates inflammation in your arteries that can reduce blood supply. For this reason, studies have shown that it takes longer for bone fractures or breaks to heal if you smoke.

Raynaud’s syndrome

Raynaud’s syndrome is a condition where blood flow to your fingers, toes, ears, or nose is interrupted or restricted. Raynaud’s is typically associated with triggers, the most common being cold temperature. Since smoking affects blood flow through small blood vessels, it’s a major risk factor for the development of Raynaud’s syndrome.

If you have Raynaud’s syndrome, you may experience:

  • cold, numb, pale, fingers or toes, particularly after exposure to the cold
  • when circulation recovers, redness, swelling, or discomfort in the same regions
  • in severe cases, you can develop skin ulcers or tissue death

Plantar calluses

Plantar calluses are thick calluses that form on the bottoms of your feet. This is a very common condition and is easily treated.

There’s evidence that smoking can lead to more calluses on your feet due to the restriction of blood flow.

All of these conditions can be caused or worsened by heavy smoking. If you feel you may have or may be developing any of these conditions, talk with your doctor.

The main ways that smoking may affect your foot health is by reducing blood flow to your extremities and slowing bone growth and healing.

Smoking limits blood flow through your arteries and veins in two main ways:

  • First, many tobacco products contain the highly addictive chemical nicotine. Nicotine has been shown to constrict your blood vessels, making them narrower, limiting the amount of blood they can carry and decreasing blood flow. Over time, this can also make them more rigid, causing the heart to work harder to circulate blood.
  • Second, the chemicals in cigarettes can weaken the cells on the inside of blood vessels, making it easier for fatty deposits called plaque to build up and further restrict blood flow.

Smoking has also been shown to slow and hinder bone growth. This means that if you’re a heavy smoker, you’re more likely to have weaker bones, which can lead to more frequent fractures and breaks with a longer healing time.

Diagnosis varies with each condition affecting the feet. If you’re a smoker and are concerned that you may be developing a foot condition, begin by talking with your primary healthcare professional or a podiatrist (a doctor specializing in the care of feet).

In many cases, there’s no specific test to help diagnose these conditions. Your doctor may order blood tests to rule out other conditions, and perform comparative blood pressure exams on your arms and legs.

They may order imaging, such as an angiogram, a scan that visualizes your arteries, or an ultrasound of your veins.

In all cases, the first step is talking with a healthcare professional.

The best thing you can do to stop or slow any of these conditions is to quit smoking.

Treatment varies for each condition, but in most cases, there’s no cure. Your healthcare professional may recommend the following to help relieve symptoms:

  • exercise
  • eating a balanced diet
  • keeping your feet warm in cold weather
  • taking calcium supplements

You can also take steps to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure with medication.

There are additional risk factors for certain conditions of the feet if you smoke. While they vary between each condition, there are a few additional factors that can lead to conditions like peripheral arterial disease (PAD), Buerger’s disease, as well as increased risk of developing blood clots:

  • diabetes
  • high cholesterol
  • high blood pressure
  • genetics
  • age
  • sex

According to the National Institutes of Health, research shows that PAD occurs more frequently among Black people than white people. One reason for this may be inequities in healthcare.

Those assigned female at birth are more likely to develop osteoporosis than those assigned male. The CDC found that the age-adjusted prevalence of osteoporosis was higher among women (19.6%) compared with men (4.4%).

The outlook for these conditions of the feet varies based on which condition you’re experiencing. In extreme, untreated cases of conditions like Buerger’s disease, you may experience tissue death, or gangrene, which can sometimes lead to amputation.

A concern for developing PAD is the major increase in the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

However, for many of these conditions, symptoms have been shown to decrease once you stop smoking.

Can using e-cigarettes and vapes also hurt my feet?

Yes, the chemical nicotine is responsible for many of the conditions listed above. If you’re using a vape or e-cigarette that contains nicotine or other harmful chemicals, you’re at risk for developing these conditions.

How long does it take for blood circulation to improve after quitting smoking?

Blood circulation has been shown to improve anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks after quitting smoking. This should help lead to healthier feet and legs.

Does gangrene always lead to amputation?

If it’s caught early on, gangrene (or tissue death) doesn’t always end in amputation. However, if left untreated or if the infection is beginning to spread, amputation may be necessary in order to save your life.

Smoking negatively affects every aspect of your health, and your feet and legs are no exception.

There are a variety of foot and leg conditions that you can develop from smoking, ranging in severity from increased risk of calluses on your feet, to increased risk of bone fractures, to tissue death and amputation.

The number one thing you can do for your foot, leg, and all-around health is to quit smoking.

The effect of smoking on health and appearance – Tubakainfo

Tobacco smoke harms the body in many ways, and a person does not immediately see or notice this.

Tobacco chemicals harm all organs without exception. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use is associated with at least 25 diseases. Tobacco use is considered the leading cause of death in the world.

Tobacco is carcinogenic, causing cancer in at least 12 different parts of the body: lung, oral cavity, nasal cavity, paranasal sinus, larynx, throat, esophagus, pancreas, stomach, liver, renal pelvis, gallbladder . Tobacco also causes myeloid leukemia, that is, blood cancer.

Tobacco is also a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases (40% of cases), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (80% of cases), malignant tumors (30% of cases, including 90% of cases of lung cancer). By abstaining from tobacco, 40% of these diseases are preventable.

Health risks of tobacco use:

  • Respiratory tract – bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer.
  • Circulatory organs – increase in pressure, acceleration of the pulse, narrowing of the arteries (gangrene), damage to the inner lining of the arteries (stroke, heart attack).
  • Digestive organs – disorders of the stomach, stomach ulcers.
  • Oral cavity – inflammation of the gums, cancer of the oral cavity.
  • Skin – rapid aging, dullness and pallor of the skin.
  • Genital organs – infertility, impotence.
  • Human fetus – premature birth, underweight, poor health.
  • Psyche – addiction.
  • General health – shortens life expectancy.

See exactly what smoking does to your body.

Read on to see what has changed in your body since you started smoking.

Effects of smoking on the oral cavity

Smoker’s gums are irritated and sore.

Tobacco related gum disease – inflammation of the gums, inflammation of the tissues around the tooth root and bacterial plaque can lead to:

  • swollen and sore gums,
  • bleeding,
  • gums moving away from the base of the tooth,
  • tooth decay and loss, taste sensitivity.

Tobacco use increases the risk of oral cancer.

Oral cancer occurs on the lips, tongue, or inside of the cheeks (precancerous condition). Cancer of the lips and cancer of the tongue are aggressive and rapidly developing forms of cancer. Cancer can also occur in the throat, pharynx, and tonsils. 90% of these cancers are directly related to tobacco use.

Quitting smoking reduces plaque. It also reduces the risk of getting oral cancer.

Effects of smoking on the heart and circulation

A smoker is 2 to 4 times more likely to develop heart disease than a non-smoker. Diseases of the cardiovascular system are the leading cause of death worldwide.

  • Tobacco use can lead to heart attack and stroke.
  • Smoking causes disturbances in the peripheral blood supply to the extremities. There are painful spasms, numbness, goosebumps and a feeling of fatigue in the legs. The lack of blood supply increases the risk of infections, causes gangrene and the need for limb amputation.

If you stop smoking, the risk of a heart attack will decrease, and you won’t have to endure cramps in your legs because the blood supply improves.

Effects of smoking on the respiratory tract

  • Chemicals in tobacco smoke cause chronic lung disease.
  • The substances contained in tobacco smoke irritate the respiratory tract, reduce the elasticity of the lung tissue, destroy the walls of the lung alveoli.
  • There is chronic shortness of breath, cough.
  • 90% of lung cancers are attributable to tobacco use tobacco’s carcinogens and tar cause and promote cancer. At the beginning of the disease, lung cancer is latent. When symptoms such as coughing up blood, difficulty breathing, it is possible that the cancer has already spread to other organs, especially the bones, liver and brain.

Already a few days after quitting smoking, breathing improves, and the sense of smell and taste become more acute. After a few months, the smoker’s cough also disappears. Significantly reduces the risk of various lung diseases. Here we should not forget that lung function improves not only when you give up regular cigarettes, but also when you give up all other smoking tobacco products, including hookah or cigarillos.

Smoking-related cellular damage and cancer

Tobacco chemicals, incl. nicotine, reduce the ability of cells to suppress the development of tumors. As a result, the likelihood of cancer formation increases.

Human DNA contains information that gives instructions to cells for the normal functioning of the body. This information is packaged in genes. When an error occurs in the DNA, a mutation appears, and disturbances occur in the work of cells and genes. Mutations, in which uncontrolled division and reproduction of cells occurs, lead to the emergence of oncological tumors [1] .

Mutations may occur by chance during normal development, or they may be caused by external factors such as chemicals from cigarettes. There are about six different mutations that must occur before a cancer cell develops. The body has its own mechanisms for correcting mutations, but they do not always work. If a mutation occurs in a gene necessary for human life, and the body cannot eliminate this damage, then a cancer cell is formed.

Cancer cells usually develop over a long period of time, but smoking accelerates this process by increasing the number of mutations. Smoking can cause at least 14 different forms of cancer.

Although the elderly and daily smokers have a higher risk of getting cancer, it is important to remember that each cigarette smoked increases the risk of the disease. Just 15 cigarettes is enough to cause a gene mutation that can lead to cancer.

Therefore, the only way to prevent cancer is to stop smoking. Although existing mutations will not go anywhere, the risk of new mutations, and therefore cancer, will significantly decrease.
Tobacco products are risk factors for many cancers, e.g. cigarettes are associated with, among others:

  • tumors of the respiratory tract and esophagus,
  • cancer of the blood, kidneys, gallbladder and stomach.

Snuff and snus consumption is primarily associated with oral, laryngeal, and pancreatic cancers.
Tobacco chemicals can cause liver cancer, because the liver processes chemicals that enter the body. Liver cancer can be accompanied by severe pain. Cancer can spread to the liver and from the lungs.

Quitting tobacco reduces the risk of developing many different tumors.

Effects of smoking on the psyche

With the rejection of nicotine significantly improves brain function, increases alertness and the ability to concentrate. Memory also improves, drowsiness and headaches disappear.

Effects of smoking on appearance

When using tobacco products, there are many obvious signs that impair appearance:

  • Your skin has a gray tint, wrinkles appear much faster.
  • Teeth, nails and fingers turn yellow.
  • Breath and hair with clothes smell bad.

Stopping smoking significantly improves the color and elasticity of the skin. Non-smoking seniors have 5 times less wrinkles than those who smoked a pack a day for 25 years.

See exactly what smoking does to your body.

Effects of smoking on pregnancy

We must not forget that smoking reduces the potency of men and can worsen the quality of sperm. Quitting smoking increases a man’s ability to become a father. And for women, smoking can complicate the process of conceiving a child. Quitting smoking (always during pregnancy) reduces the risk of many possible complications.

Smoking during pregnancy seriously threatens the health of and and mothers, and future children.
Maternal smoking (both active and passive) during pregnancy increases the risk of the following complications:

  • Fetal growth retardation, risk of preterm birth,
  • Baby born low birth weight,
  • Risk of miscarriage or difficult delivery,
  • Risk of sudden infant death syndrome,
  • Congenital developmental disorders in a child,
  • Mother’s lack of breast milk,
  • The child needs medical attention due to reduced immunity.

All women at the beginning of pregnancy dream of a physically and mentally healthy child. However, the facts show that many future mothers and fathers are not ready to change their lifestyle and give up bad habits in order to contribute to the birth of a healthy child with good developmental potential.

Positive influence begins immediately after quitting:

  • 20 minutes – pulse and blood pressure normalize
  • 1 hour – reduces the risk of complications during pregnancy
  • 8 hours – the level of nicotine in the blood decreases, the blood supply improves
  • 1 day – lung function improves, carbon monoxide (CO) is eliminated from the body
  • 2 days – nicotine is eliminated from the body, the risk to the growth of the unborn child is reduced
  • 3 days – energy levels increase, breathing becomes easier
  • 1 month – nicotine withdrawal is gone after quitting smoking, breathing and energy levels are constantly improving
  • 6 months – reduces the risk of breathing problems, asthma, allergies, ear infections, etc. in the baby
  • 1 year – reduces the risk that the child will smoke at an early age

Your child needs a healthy mother. Do not start smoking again after childbirth and the end of breastfeeding! And do not allow anyone to smoke near you and your child! See how passive smoking affects your child.

Smoking greatly increases the likelihood of postoperative complications

Smoking greatly increases the risk of postoperative complications.

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    • Smoking greatly increases the risk of postoperative complications

    Compared with nonsmokers, smokers are at significantly greater risk of postoperative complications, including heart and lung problems, infections, and delayed or impaired wound healing.

    However, new evidence suggests that smoking cessation four or more weeks before surgery can significantly reduce the risk of postoperative complications and improve recovery in the first six months after surgery. Compared with smokers, patients who quit smoking are less likely to experience anesthesia complications.

    According to a new collaborative study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), Newcastle University (Australia) and the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA), after four weeks of quitting smoking, each subsequent week without tobacco increases the likelihood of a favorable outcome by 19%, which is associated with improved blood supply to vital organs.

    “According to the data presented in the report, postponing minor or non-urgent surgery to a later date to give the patient time to quit smoking is the key to a better outcome of surgery,” explained the head of the World Health Organization’s tobacco control unit Dr. Vinayak Prasad.

    Nicotine and carbon monoxide found in tobacco smoke can reduce blood oxygen levels and dramatically increase the risk of postoperative cardiac complications. Smoking also damages the lungs, resulting in airway obstruction and an increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Smoking also impairs the patient’s immune system and can slow down the healing process of wounds, thereby increasing the risk of infection of the surgical wound. Just one cigarette smoked reduces the body’s ability to deliver nutrients to damaged tissues necessary for postoperative recovery.

    “Post-operative complications are a big problem for both hospitals and patients. At every stage of care, and especially before surgery, primary care physicians, surgeons, nurses and families can play an important role in encouraging patients to stop smoking and providing them with the support they need,” explained Dr Shams Sayed. WHO encourages countries to implement health system-level smoking cessation programs and education campaigns to raise public awareness and support for tobacco cessation.